Diego Vega Explained

Diego David Vega
Birth Place:Bogotá, Colombia
Occupation:Composer and music professor

Diego David Vega[1] (born 1968[2]) is a Colombian-American composer and music professor whose work blends elements of traditional Colombian music with contemporary styles. He has created works for a variety of ensembles, including soloists, chamber groups, and symphony orchestras. Vega is also an experienced music educator, having taught composition and theory in both Colombia and the United States. He became an associate professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas School of Music in 2011, and has received commissions from institutions such as the National Symphony Orchestra of Colombia and Maîtrise Notre Dame de Paris.[3]

Education and career

Vega studied at the Javeriana University in Bogotá, Colombia, where he earned his Bachelor of Music. He also studied at the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he earned his Master of Music, and at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, where he earned his doctorate. Among other teachers, his composition teachers were Guillermo Gaviria, Ricardo Zohn-Muldoon, Joel Hoffman, Roberto Sierra, and Steven Stucky.

Following his studies, he was a visiting assistant professor of composition and music theory at the Setnor School of Music at Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York, and an associate professor at the Faculty of Music at the Javeriana University. He has held a faculty position at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas School of Music since 2011.[4]

Vega is one of five composers for the album Reason & Reverence which was released in June 2018 by Navona Records. The composers are described as having developed "a compelling, philosophical reflection of the world we live in." Petr Vronský conducted, and the Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra delivers the compositions.[5]

Composition and music style

Diego Vega's musical style is characterized by a synthesis of classical music, Colombian music, jazz, and his favorite composers. He often incorporates elements of Colombian traditional music into his works, such as rhythms, melodies, harmonies, and instruments. He also explores the use of complex textures, polyrhythms, polytonality, and extended techniques. He is influenced by composers from different periods and genres, such as Prokofiev, Debussy, Ravel, Stravinsky, Bartók, Ligeti, Lutoslawski, Messiaen, Stucky, and many others.[6] Latin American writers have inspired some of his works, such as "hlör u fang axaxaxas mlö" (2004) for clarinet, violin, cello and piano, which was influenced by Jorge Luis Borges’ writings,[7] and his recent ballet "Espíritu de Pájaro", which was based on poems by Colombian indigenous authors.[8]

Recognition

Vega has won several awards for his compositions, including the Colombian National Prize of Music in Composition in 2004,[9] [10] the Ensemble X composition competition in 2004, the Ithaca College Chamber Orchestra Composition Competition in 2010, and the Alea III 20th anniversary prize in 2002.[11] His music has been performed by notable ensembles, including the Norwegian Radio Orchestra,[12] Eighth Blackbird,[13] Youth Orchestra of the Americas, National Symphony Orchestra of Colombia,[14] Bogotá Philharmonic,[15] Soli Chamber Ensemble,[16] and Cuarteto Latinoamericano.[17]

Compositions

Works for orchestra

Espíritu de Pájaro is a contemporary dance performance and symphonic music composition commissioned by the National Symphony Orchestra of Colombia. It is dedicated to the indigenous communities of Colombia. The ballet was inspired by poems written by authors such as Hugo Jamioy from the Kamëntsá people, Fredy Chikangana from the Yanakuna people,[18] and Vito Apüshana from the Wayuu people.[19] [8] [20] It premiered at the Teatro de Cristóbal Colón in Bogotá on November 4 and 5, 2022, with choreography by Álvaro Restrepo and conducted by Juan Felipe Molano.[21]

Works for wind band

Masses, cantatas, and sacred music

Works for choir

Chamber music

Works for piano

Electronic music

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Vega, Diego David, 1968- . 2023-02-16 . VIAF.
  2. Web site: Vega, Diego David, 1968- . 2023-02-16 . Library of Congress.
  3. Web site: 2013-03-20 . Diego Vega, D.M.A. . 2023-02-16 . University of Nevada, Las Vegas . en.
  4. Web site: Diego Vega . 2023-02-16 . LinkedIn.
  5. Web site: Diego Vega – Navona Records . Navona Records . 2021-09-07 . 2023-02-16.
  6. Web site: THE INSIDE STORY: Diego Vega and REASON & REVERENCE. PARMA Recordings News. 29 June 2018 . 2022-12-16.
  7. Web site: hlör u fang axaxaxas mlö – DIEGO VEGA composer . 2023-02-16 . en-US.
  8. Web site: Espíritu de Pájaro, un Homenaje Artístico a las Comunidades Indígenas Colombianas . Spirit of the Bird, an Artistic Tribute to Colombian Indigenous Communities . 2023-02-16 . . es.
  9. Web site: Giraldo S. . Diego Leon . 2004-11-28 . El Hombre de Josefa Matía . 2023-02-16 . El Tiempo . es.
  10. Web site: November 2004 . La gran noche de la cultura colombiana . Colombian Culture's Big Night . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20070727042117/http://sinic.mincultura.gov.co/culturactiva/not.asp?NOT_ID=60 . 2007-07-27 . February 15, 2023 . . es.
  11. Web site: 2002 - 2003 Concert Season - Alea III . 2023-02-16 . www.aleaiii.com.
  12. Web site: Hugill . Planet . Orchestral adventures: New South American Discoveries . 2023-02-16.
  13. Web site: Diferencias - InstantEncore . February 16, 2023.
  14. Web site: Espíritu de pájaro, un homenaje a las comunidades indígenas colombianas . 2023-02-17 . Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Colombia . es.
  15. Web site: 2017-05-05 . Una semana con el compositor colombiano Diego Vega . A Week with Colombian Composer Diego Vega . 2023-02-16 . Orquesta Filarmónica de Bogotá . es.
  16. Web site: SOLI Doubles Up With Two New Releases . 2023-02-16 . TPR . en.
  17. Cuarteto Latinoamericano: Saúl Bitrán, Arón Bitrán, Javier Montiel, Alvaro Bitrán . June 6, 2012 . Diego Vega - String Quartet - Cuarteto Latinoamericano . Sala Fedora Alemán, Centro de Acción Social para la Música, Caracas, Venezuela . YouTube.
  18. Web site: Fredy Chicangana . 2023-02-16 . www.poetryinternational.com . en.
  19. Web site: Apüshana . Vito . 2022-02-03 . Four Poems by Vito Apüshana . 2023-02-16 . Latin American Literature Today . en-US . University of Oklahoma.
  20. Web site: Espíritu de Pájaro, un Homenaje Artístico a las Comunidades Indígenas Colombianas . Spirit of the Bird, an Artistic Tribute to Colombian Indigenous Communities . Teatro Colón. 2023-02-16.
  21. Web site: Un proyecto de la Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Colombia. Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Colombia. 2023-02-16.

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